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Opinion, September 29, 2103- The “Most Self-Serving Presentation” award for the 2013 BPC Block Party goes to Bob Townley. Not only was Mr. Townley making his presence known in hopes of getting BPCA funding returned to his Tribeca Manhattan Youth, but his award to Harry Poulakakos was truly baffling. (In the video above, note the audience ignoring Mr. Townley)
The Poulakakos family has enraged many in BPC by somehow having the political connections to be awarded the Pier A project. The government-built pier has cost taxpayers more than $35 Million so far, and was supposed to originally be used as a public space, not as a for-profit restaurant. Moreover, the Poulakakos family has not been doing business in Battery Park City for more than two years. His friends at Goldman Sachs gave him space in their building for a restaurant that has received mediocre reviews. Finally, more maddening, the Poulakakos group was awarded 25,000 square feet in the newly renovated Brookfield Place for an Eataly-like market.
BPC has rewarded the Poulakakos group very well, for unknown reasons. Why was TriBeCa’s Bob Townley giving them an award? The Poulakakos group should have been giving free food to everyone as a token of appreciation.
BatteryPark.TV predicted that the block party would be hijacked like this by local political cronies. Read more below.
Why is Tribeca’s Bob Townley organizing the BPC block party?
They clearly tried to pick an old man people wouldn’t pick on. Townley discusses small businesses downtown then gives an award to a conglomerate with operations in midtown!
Let me get this straight…. Tribeca’s Bob Townley decided BPC should give Harry P an award???? I hope the plaque read something like this…
“For Harry’s years of serving the community with low quality and overpriced restaurants and more recently hijacking a historic site (Pier A) which was zoned as community space (museum, school etc.) to run even more overpriced and low quality restaurants that will serve the unsuspecting and intoxicated tourists visiting our lovely community via the booze cruises which embark/disembark at Wagner park. I can almost smell the vomit on the esplanade now….
Lest we forget Harry’s crowning glory, getting the Pier A lease for well below market rate all while BPCA pays upwards of $40M to fix Pier A. ”
And the BPCA and CB1 wonder why everyone says they are corrupt!